The New Kid
by RemindMeOnceAgain
Summary: Alex Rider joins H.I.V.E. and meets Otto and the gang. But he's not as accepted as he might think, especially as he has a great friendship with Wing and something special with Laura. The "villainous education" of H.I.V.E. is not anything Alex's learned at MI6, but it's what Otto has been learning for two years already, and he's quite good at it... My first story, please review! :)
1. Chapter 1

**HI :) I'm new to this... so if you have any comments/suggestions feel free to review! :) Thanks and hope you enjoy it...**

**Also the characters are owned by Mark Walden (the ones from H.I.V.E.) and Anthony Horowitz (the ones from the Alex Rider series).**

**Chapter 1**

"Raven. My office. I have a mission for you." Nero said over the Blackbox.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes."

Raven turned her Blackbox off just as a shadow landed inches from her head. She quickly twisted back, gripping Wing's leg and flipping him over onto the floor with ease.

"Ow!"

"I told you. Never directly under the light. It gives your position away."

"I'm sorry. I took it as an opportunity, seeing as you were distracted…"

"I'm never distracted. We'll continue tomorrow, same time, same place. Remember my instructions. It'll save your life."

Wing bowed slightly and turned to go.

"Oh, and one more thing, Wing."

He turned and faced her. "Yes?"

"Good job today."

"Thanks," he said with a slight smile and left the room.

Raven allowed herself a hint of a smile and shook her head slightly. She was getting soft. Pretty soon, she'll be like Nero and actually care for these kids. She merged into the shadows and went in the direction of Nero's office.

"Come in, Raven." Nero's voice came out from the other side of the door. It was always a wonder to her how he knew she was there. Maybe he had a biological tracker inserted into her. She stepped inside the room and closed the door.

Nero held a file out towards her. "New target for extraction for Year 2 Alpha stream. His name is Alex Rider. Can you do it tomorrow?"

"Should be done before breakfast."

"Yes. Well. I asked you because Alex has been a bit of a problem for Scorpia, which, as you know, is under G.L.O.V.E.'s control, although they don't know it themselves. They're the best out there, but he's humiliated and destroyed them almost completely. He's smarter than you might think. Be careful, Natalya."

"Aren't I always?" Raven smiled. "I do so love a challenge." She opened the file and started to read.

"Wait, Max. What's this? He worked for MI6?"

"Yes. He is somewhat… " he paused, "… unique. Not to mention talented."

"Are you out of your mind!?" She shouted, a bit too loudly. "H.I.V.E. is not for the good guys, it's for _villainous education_, Max!"

Nero stood up and put both hands on his desk. "You have no right to speak to me like that," He said coldly. "How dare you question my decisions!" Nero's voice increased in volume.

He leaned over the table, glaring at Raven. "You do not give me advice unless I specifically ask for it. Do you understand?"

Raven was undeterred. She shook her head slowly as she considered her words. "Do you know who you sound like, Max?" She whispered. "You sound like Number One." She turned and slowly walked out. "I'll still do what you asked, no, what you _commanded_, though."

"Wait." An almost fragile, small voice came from Nero. It sounded nothing like him, Raven thought. Did I push him too hard? She looked at him and was surprised to see his face in his hands as he sat back down.

"I'm sorry, Natalya. It's just… the new council and all… I'm under a lot of pressure."

Raven didn't know what to say. This was certainly unusual. They've argued about lots of things before, but Nero never, ever, apologized. It was almost an unwritten rule. Face it, super-villains don't apologize – they'd rather kill someone and get it over with.

"MI6 has no hold on Alex Rider anymore. His sponsor made sure of that. Don't worry." He sighed.

"I won't." Raven took a step towards Max. "Don't worry either. Everything will be fine with the council." She paused. "I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to give advice…"

"No. No. Forget what I said." He looked up at her. "You're the only person I can trust right now. Maybe I should get _you_ on the ruling council." He smiled.

"I'm getting out before you can make me," she smirked and left the room in a much better mood than she was a few minutes ago.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Alex Rider was sound asleep in his bed when he woke up with a start. Something was wrong; he could feel it in his gut. But what? It was only a few months ago that he took on Scorpia for the last time. His spy instincts were still accurate, or that was what he told himself.

Sighing, he checked the time. 3:00 AM. Maybe he had a nightmare. Julius Grief. Alex could remember every horrendous detail of that encounter. Yes, maybe that was what woke him up- but he couldn't remember having that dream for days now. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

Something moved in the darkness and Alex immediately jumped into a defensive stance.

"Who are you?" He shouted, as his eyes adjusted to the light.

No answer.

"Show yourself. Now." He said, more confident that he was in a better position than the thief- whatever it was- that was lurking there.

"Whatever you say." A Russian woman answered, pulling out a Sleeper – not that Alex knew what it was – and shot him.

"Wha – Ow– that hurrrr…"

With a thud, he fell back on his bed, knocked out.

Raven stepped out from her hiding place.

"Well, that was easy," she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "I'd have thought you'd struggle more."

She signaled and two men carried the limp body up to the Shroud. They locked him onto the bed and the Shroud disappeared into the night sky.

"Back to H.I.V.E." She told the pilot.

_I wonder what Nero has in mind for him. _She thought silently as she closed her eyes for some rest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**_Thanks for the reviews and follows/favs! :) Totally made my day haha :) Hope you enjoy this!_  
**

* * *

Alex woke up with an inexplicable headache. _What happened?_ He wondered groggily. As events of the past hour came back to him, he remembered the Russian lady. Who was she? Was she from Scorpia? MI6?

He was going to get up for a glass of water, thinking it was only a dream. But he couldn't. He was strapped to his seat, and no one was in sight to even explain what was happening or why. _I've been kidnapped! _He realized in horror. _The nerve! Don't they know what I'm capable of? I'm going to…_ _to… _His thoughts trailed off.

He wasn't working for MI6 anymore. So why were they after him? He had to find out. First things first, though, he had to get off the seat he was tied up on.

Alex looked around for his options. He had no gadgets, no weapons, not even a Swiss army knife. There were a few suits nearby, four other seats, but nothing he could use. _Think, Alex, think!_ He told himself. He was running out of time. There were bound to be cameras in the cockpit, and whoever was holding him hostage would know he was awake and knock him unconscious again.

Suddenly, he remembered a gift from an old friend. _Thank you, Smithers!_ He whispered. Alex banged his wrist nine times in a pattern. S-O-S in Morse code. Nothing happened. It wasn't the correct activation code! He tried to think back to the card that came with his new spy watch. What had it said? "H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y"? Nope, that didn't work. "S-M-I-T-H-E-R-S"? "A-L-E-X"? No… he somehow recalled that it was only a three-letter word. "M-I S-I-X"?

Alex was sweating horribly and he knew that he only had a few more minutes to go. _Come on, come on!_ _What is it?_ He was panicking but forced himself to think once again. "Have fun, Alex," Smithers had said. It was almost like his motto for life. "F-U-N?" _Yes!_ The watch beeped to life and a holographic shape came out. It was a man in a suit, although he didn't look very _human_. Alex was warned only to use this in an emergency, and didn't know exactly what it could do. He simply stared at it, although he knew he was wasting precious seconds.

"Good morning, Alex. How may I help you?" The figure on the watch asked.

"I need a blade. Sharp enough to cut through these cuffs. Or something else you could get me so that I can escape."

A sharp blade with a soft purple glow spun out of the watch. Alex inched his wrist closer and closer to the cuffs, and when the blade reached the cuffs, it cut through like butter. _Nice!_ Smithers always knew what he needed. And made it amazingly cool, too. He quickly sliced through the other cuff and the strap around his waist. He was free.

* * *

"What's wrong, Captain?" Raven opened her eyes with chilling speed.

"N-n-nothing, Raven. Everything's going according to plan."

Raven glared at him and stood up, preparing her katanas. "I'll have you know, I can fly a Shroud by myself no problem. You tell me why you're fumbling with the monitors, and I'll give you a chance to live until we get to H.I.V.E."

Seeing there was no escape, he replied honestly. "There's activity in the back, and not just around the chair where the target is but it seems…"

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Raven was already out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and follows! :) Sorry this took a bit of time to update but I was really busy last week. Hope you like it! :)**

* * *

Alex knew that he didn't have much time. He turned as the door opened, revealing the black-clad figure he saw earlier in his bedroom, a few continents away. "Give me a gun, now!" He cried into his watch.

"Sorry, Alex. Smithers said no guns." The figure on the watch replied calmly.

"Give me a weapon, then. Anything!" He shouted as the woman took a few steps towards him, with a chilling smile on her face.

"Will this do?" The blade reappeared, this time, a bit longer.

He didn't have time to reply. The woman was already at his side, moving faster than anything he's seen before. She grabbed his arm and was about to flip him over when Alex's training came back to him. He gave what he thought was a perfect karate kick to her face. She jerked back in a fraction of a millisecond, but Alex was already expecting that. He simultaneously delivered a piercing cut on her forearm, resulting in her grimacing in pain, with a look in her eyes that could disintegrate a mountain.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?" Alex shouted. He had the upper hand. The purple blade from his watch was all he needed. Or so he thought.

* * *

Raven stared back at Alex, answering neither of his questions. Her mind was racing. _Where did he get the blade? The idiot henchmen. I told them to search him properly!_ Her arm hurt, quite an understatement. It was a good thing she tore away or it would have amputated her whole arm.

* * *

"Answer me. NOW." Alex waved the blade and walked towards her, menacing intentions with every step. No reply. "WHO SENT YOU!?" Alex realized he wasn't going to get any answers from this lady. Maybe her English wasn't as good as her Russian. He tried again. "_I said–_"

He was cut off by Raven rushing at him with two purple swords in her hands.

* * *

Raven was just about to deliver a clean cut across his shoulder when her Blackbox beeped. Raven cursed silently in Russian for losing the surprise opportunity and ignored her Blackbox. She gained momentum again, but Alex swerved and took a defensive stance a few metres away from her.

Without warning, Nero's voice boomed over the Shroud. "Raven. Answer your Blackbox. NOW."

Raven had no choice but to obey. She knew there were cameras on board and knew better than to defy Nero's direct orders. She took the vibrating Blackbox and answered it.

"Yes, Dr. Nero?" She said impatiently. "I'm in a little... situation here."

"I'm well aware of that, Raven. Do not hurt the boy. He is like Malpense to us."

With that, his face disappeared.

Raven muttered under her breath and stared back at the blank screen. She was suddenly aware of a dark shadow behind her. She swung back, gripping Alex's leg and flipping him over, just as the momentum of his kick was out of his control. He was shoved onto the ground.

* * *

Alex was trapped once again, tied to the same chair after being pushed onto the ground. His watch was confiscated and the blade disappeared after it was detached from his wrist. He was counting on her being distracted, which apparently was an assumption that could very well cost him his life. But he still wanted answers. He had found, over many missions, that the bad guys always told him their plans, when they thought he wad under their control. So he tried asking again. In Russian, of course.

"So. Now that I'm caught, could you tell me where you're taking me and why?"

The woman assassin didn't answer. She just glared at him, blood leaking out of her wound. She took one of her purple blades and swung it around his face. Alex wasn't scared. She wouldn't hurt him, not after what the man on the device told her.

The device beeped again. He wondered what the man was going to say this time.

"Raven, I want to speak to him."

The woman, apparently called Raven, turned the device over to face him. Alex found himself looking at a man in a suit, with serious, dark eyes and a face that was meant to be remembered. Suddenly, his eyes gleamed and he laughed. "Oh! I almost forgot. No need for this thing now..." And the face was gone.

After a few seconds, the same face hovered above the only blank wall in the ship-plane-like vehicle. "Hahah! Ahem." He returned to the original featureless face.

"Well, Mr. Rider. So nice to have you on board, finally."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"What do you want?" Alex seethed.

"No need to be mad. Everything will make sense in a while. I'm sure you have been -" he paused, gesturing towards Raven, now stitching her wound herself, "acquainted- with Raven here. She's the world's deadliest assassin, not that you would know that.

"The answer to your question, Mr. Rider, is that you are being taken to the most topsecret institution in the world. My name is Dr. Nero, and I am the proud principal of H.I.V.E..

"What does it stand for? I'll tell you what we teach first. Simply speaking, we teach young people to take advantage of their talents, to develop them for their best interests. H.I.V.E. stands for The Higher Institute of Villainous Education, and it's -"

"NO! I'm not going to-"

"You are not to interrupt me again, do I make myself clear?" His icy tone was sharp and immediately made Alex regret his words. Raven looked like she was about to pounce, and if Dr. Nero just gave the order, she would definitely kill him in one blow.

"Now, where were we. Ahh yes. H.I.V.E.. Now, Alex, I've been told you've been an exceptional student at Malagosto, which is why you have been places in the Alpha stream Year 2. But make no mistake, we are not Malagosto.

"We train young people, and you'll see quickly that you'll make new friends, no doubt troublemakers like you, and you'll enjoy learning about being a villain. Learning about all the creative ways you could plan a trap for the people you don't like. Learning about keeping the delicate balance we have achieved now. Learning about... yourself."

He turned to Raven.

"How long until you arrive?"

"ETA two minutes."

"Very well. Mr. Rider, you will receive a Blackbox and HIVEmind will assist you with any other questions."

"I just have one question, sir." Alex asked boldly, knowing he could drop dead anytime.

Nero paused, as if pondering whether or not to kill him there and then. "Shoot." Dr. Nero said, looking at both Alex and Raven at the same time, if that was possible. Alex closed his eyes, ready for the bullet. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard laughter. Raven and Dr. Nero were laughing. "Forgive the pun, Mr. Rider."

"Oh. I wanted to ask, can I get my watch back?"

Dr. Nero stayed silent for a while longer than necessary. He replied, "After the Professor has deemed it safe. Goodbye, Mr. Rider. I will see you at H.I.V.E.." And the holographic image of his face disappeared.

Alex looked out the window. They were approaching a volcano. Raven seemed undisturbed about this, so he sat back and pondered his next move. What had he gotten into? How was he going to get home? What about Sabina and her family? Will they be safe? Are they worried about him?

H.I.V.E. might have had lots of tricky, cunning, not to mention evil kids, but they never had a spy. They've never had an Alex Rider.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Alex stepped into the hangar bay. It was more modern -and cooler, considering they were in a volcano- than he had expected, not like Brecon Beacons or even Malagosto at all. There were people all around him, chatting and laughing as if a school in the middle of a volcano, in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of nowhere, was the most common thing they've ever seen. Raven led the way towards a large hall.

He passed by students of his age, also chatting. About what, though, was what disturbed him- "stealing uranium from the United States top secret facility", "hypnotizing someone with a rubber band", "cracking MI6" was only a few topics he'd heard. It was already to much info.

He passed by a gang of four kids, one boy who had stunning white hair, a tall Asian with long, dark hair, a blond American girl who talked just a bit too loudly, and a shy redhaired girl who looked quite pretty. They stared at him and whispered. Alex ignored them. He was going to get out of here anyway.

* * *

Otto had hacked into the Shroud's cameras - without HIVEmind 's knowing, of course. The four of them had saw the entire footage of the fight between Raven and Alex, and Nero's intervention.

"Boy, he doesn't look very friendly." Shelby said as they passed Alex.

"It's only because you're gossiping about him, when you're not even supposed to know what had happened." Laura shot back.

"You saw it too!"

"It's Otto's fault! He showed me how to hack HIVEmind , and I couldn't-"

"Shush! He can hear you!" Otto whispered quickly.

"Hear what?" The familiar blue face suddenly hovered above them.

"Nothing." The three of them quickly replied. Only Wing stayed silent.

"Mr. Fanchu, care to explain? Or I would have to rewind the security tapes and amplify the volume, which I can do in a matter of nanoseconds..."

But Otto was already staring into space. I owe you one, he told HIVEmind , connecting with him. The blue face only smiled.

"I'm sure, Mr. Malpense, that our currency here at H.I.V.E. does not include IOUs. But I will not probe further, seeing the look on Mr. Fanchu's face is one of... interesting revelations."

HIVEmind disappeared.

"Whew! That was close! What did you do, Otto? Bribe Big Blue?"

"Aye, I agree it was a close one, that."

"What do you say we go find the English version of Wing?" Otto said, wanting to learn more about the mysterious new arrival.

"Hey!" Wing said in mock hurt.

"Yeah, no one can replace MY tall, dark, and handsome here!" Shelby added playfully.

"Whatever. There he is." Otto led the way towards the bench where Alex sat.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the late update!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Alex saw the group coming towards him out of the corner of his eye. The kid with the white hair seemed to be leading them.

_Oh no, trouble. _He closed his Blackbox and started to adopt a defensive stance. Just in case they tried to do anything to him.

"Hi Alex, I'm Otto." The white-haired kid stretched out his hand.

"How do you know my name?" Alex stood up without shaking the hand.

"Oh, we were..." Otto glanced back at his peers, "um... Kind of snooping around, I guess." Alex noticed he had a British accent.

"It's what we do here!" The blond girl, American, jumped in. "I'm Shelby, by the way. This is Laura," pointing to the red-haired girl, "and this here is Wing. Nice to meet you, Alex." Laura and Wing nodded at him and smiled.

Alex noticed that Otto's hand was still awkwardly stretched out. "Hi." He said, shaking his hand and looking at all the faces, taking in their details.

_Laura. So that's her name._

"So, what else do you guys do around here, besides snooping around?"

"We've been here 2 years already and every year something _really _crazy happens. What with the man-eating plants, evil AI, invisible jumpsuits and ships, anything could happen this year. Funny how it always seems that Otto's in the middle of it..." Laura laughed. _Her Scottish kind of laugh sounds nice, _Alex thought.

"Hey!" Otto nudged Laura. "Yeah. Well, it's quite fun around here. What do you think about the old place?"

"It's all so..." He trailed off.

"Big? Huge? Gigantic? Tech-y? Or Tacky?" Shelby offered.

"Shelby, stop scaring the poor guy." Wing said with a straight face.

Alex laughed. "It's definitely massive and something I wouldn't think exist." Alex replied, choosing his words carefully.

"You'll grow used to it. And love it, I might add." Otto smiled.

"Don't you ever get to go out?"

"No, not really, unless you count the time where Otto and Wing went to attend Wing's dad's funeral-" Laura started.

"Then it turned out that he wasn't really dead and he was really an evil madman trying to take over H.I.V.E. but he was really protecting everyone from the evil Overlord who's an Artificial Intelligence within Number One's body-"

"Shelby, stop scaring the poor guy." Wing repeated.

"Aye, it's all over and he doesn't need to know all this," Laura added.

"Guys, you didn't answer his question!" Otto cried. "What they were trying to say was, only if someone in your family dies, or when you go on the Hunt, which you'll only get to do in your third year."

"So it's like a prison? Don't you ever want to escape? Or drop out of school somehow? Go back to your normal lives?"

"There's nothing to go back to," Wing said quietly. "For all of us. We've tried escaping in first year. But it's better inside than outside. Trust us on this."

_That's nice,_ Alex thought. _But they're not ex-spies like me. They're just tricky teens. I've still got to make it out of here. I'm nothing like them. I'm not evil. _

"So..." Otto said, trying to break the silence. "Tell us, what made you get onto Nero's radar? All of us did something smart - or tricky - enough to get into H.I.V.E."

"I don't know." Alex lied. "What did you do?"

"I - uh -"

"He hypnotized the PM and made him moon himself."

Alex's jaw dropped open. He had thought MI6 had found that the PM was mentally ill. Looks like they lied, again.

"Yeah," Otto smiled sheepishly. "Anyway," he continued, quick to change the topic, "we better show yo to your accommodation block, which HIVEmind should have told you already-"

"Block 7."

"Perfect! That's where we stay!"

"All of you?" Alex asked, glancing at Laura, who smiled at him.

"Aye." She replied. "It's just around the corner. Wing and Otto share a room while Shelby and I are in another. I wonder who you'll be staying with..."

They started walking when Otto and Wing's Blackboxes beeped. "Mr. Malpense and Mr. Fanchu, Dr. Nero is asking for you." HIVEmind said.

"We better go," Otto said, leaving with Wing. Shelby, Laura, and Alex were left walking through the corridors to their Accommodation Block alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**A/N: Thanks again for all the likes and reviews! **

* * *

"Raven."

Raven stepped out of the shadows and into Nero's office without a sound.

"Mr. Rider has shown himself to be quite... _resourceful_, don't you think so?" He said with a glint in his eye.

"Yes. He has..." Raven paused, searching for the right word. "...Potential."

"And?"

Raven sighed. Max knew her mind and subtle clues more than anyone else. She had thought of something but decided against saying it. It seems though that Nero still wanted to hear it.

"Max, I think he's good. He's very good. And I'm worried."

"About what? He's in a volcano with the world's deadliest assassin watching over his every move."

"I know, but... The swords, his blade- how did he get that technology? If he were really sent to spy on us, or even like with Damian Cray, he _decides_ he wants to spy on us- "

"Then we - _you _- will take care of him. There's nothing to be worried about, Natalya, trust me. I've sent the Professor the watch. He'll find out where it came from."

"Not only that, Max- his combat skills, they're good. He's almost as good as Wing, almost as daring and imaginative as Otto, and dare I say that the combination of those two are enough, not to mention that they've taken him under their wing-"

"I understand." He cut her off.

"No, I don't think you really do, Max. You know I would never go against one of your decisions unless I really believe that it is wrong. And this is one of those times! If we train him, whether he turns out to be a spy or a brat, who knows how good he'll turn out to be, someone that even we can't-"

"That's quite enough, Raven. Do as I say and no-"

"I'm sorry, but please, if you would just listen-"

"Never cut me off again. Do you understand?" Nero said sharply.

After a piercing silence, Raven nodded slightly. Nero thought he saw a glimpse of hurt but it was gone quickly. "Anything else, Dr. Nero?"

"Raven, I value your opinion. It's just- there are things you can't know yet..." Trailing off, he stared into her eyes with fierce determination.

"Alright. Although I have Omega Black clearance, _of course_ there still are things that are too classified."

"Raven, I'll tell you some other time. Not now. Not until I have all the details."

She sighed. "I trust you and your decisions, Max, you know that. But I don't like this. And just..." She trailed off. "Be careful."

He smiled. "I will."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Mr. Malpense and Mr. Fanchu."

* * *

Otto stepped in, with Wing behind him.

"I see you are getting along quite well with Mr. Rider."

"Yes, sir." Otto replied. What else was he supposed to say?

"And I have been informed by HIVEmind that there were intruders in his monitoring system of one of the Shrouds. I assume it was you, Mr. Malpense?"

"Err..."

"I'll take that as a yes. Must I remind you that you are under constant surveillance and that you are one of HIVEmind's _high-alert _targets?"

Otto tried to suppress his smirk. He didn't know that he was that much of a threat.

"Do not do that again or you will be severely punished. Do I make myself clear?"

Otto nodded. Dr. Nero was not one who took his warnings lightly.

"Good. I would also like to inform both of you that you are being relocated to room 5.1. It is the first 3-bed room in HIVE and you will share it with Mr. Rider. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Dr. Nero." Otto replied, hiding his surprise and glee. _Oh, yes, Dr. Nero! You'll be calling us the Troublesome Trio soon! _Wing just nodded with his usual expressionless face.

"Good. You are excused."

Otto and Wing closed the door and left, neither of them noticing that Raven was still there, lying in the shadows.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Alex walked with Laura and Shelby for a few minutes in silence. It was getting awkward, and he really wanted to ask something.

"So… um… How did you guys try to escape?"

"Ha! Long story. Anyway, Otto discovered that the closet where we put our dirty uniforms had a secret passageway out. Although we didn't know where at the time, it led to the laundry room." Shelby replied.

"Aye, we almost lost our lives there..." Laura added.

"But we got out and Otto led us the way to the submarine pen, which he saw from supposed blueprints of H.I.V.E.. Only, there wasn't a submarine pen. We've been tricked by Dr. Nero and Professor Pike."

"Oh."

"Long story short, Dr. Nero reminded us that we don't have anything to return to. Not our old lives. I'm wanted for – oh, I don't know – a gazillion robberies, Wing doesn't have a family anymore and his training is just the same here, Otto's an orphan, and Laura here," slapping her friend's back a bit too hardly, making Laura wince, "is being chased by the authorities for spying on an evil-"

"An evil schoolmate who gossiped about me!" Laura said, interrupting Shelby. She quickly turned red after that and stayed quiet, avoiding Alex's eyes.

Alex smiled. He did have something to go back to. Sabrina and her family. Even though Laura was pretty, and he wanted to get to know her more, she was in a school for villains, after all. She was probably more evil than that classmate. He would try to escape not using the fake submarine pen, but to the loading deck with the Shrouds. That, he was sure, existed, and he knew how to get there. Now the problem was how to override the controls to the door…

"So what room are you in?" Shelby asked out of the blue, interrupting his thoughts.

"Err… Room 5.1."

"There's no Room 5.1, Alex. You must be mistaken…" Laura said.

"No, it's correct…" Alex flipped open his Blackbox. "HIVEmind, I'm staying at Room 5.1, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Rider. Anything else I can help you with?" The blue face replied.

"HIVEmind! There's no Room 5.1!" Shelby cried. "Did Otto do something to your memory?"

"Ms. Trinity, I have double checked and I am sure that I am not mistaken, unless Dr. Nero has assigned otherwise."

"Hmm… That's interesting…" Laura said. "Where is Room 5.1?" She asked.

Alex's Blackbox showed a map.

"That's the new corridor! You're staying in one of the new rooms!" Laura said excitedly. "Who's your roommate?"

Alex shrugged. "HIVEmind, a little help, please?"

"Room 5.1, assigned to Mr. Rider, Mr. Malpense, and Mr. Fanchu."

Shelby squealed.

"Stop that! You're destroying my sensitive hearing." Laura said, covering her ears.

"Shut it, Brand- So it's a three-bed room, HIVEmind?"

"Yes, Ms. Trinity. Anything else I can help you with?"

"No, thank you, HIVEmind." The blue face disappeared.

"It's the first three-bed room, Alex!" Shelby jumped up and down with excitement.

"Why are you so excited? It's just a larger room…" Laura said, mentally face-palming herself.

"Exactly! More people, more trouble! Hehehe…"

_Not for long, _Alex thought. _I'm getting out of here the first chance I get. I'm not like them. Not at all. _

They arrived at Alex's room and opened the door.

"Cool!" Shelby said, and almost ran into the new room, when something hit her- hard.

Her reflexes came in and she flipped the hand – or was it a leg? – that struck her. She suddenly heard a familiar "oomph" and a cry. But at the same time, she heard giggling and felt something oozing down her face and hair. _Blood!___She thought. She twisted the limb – apparently it was a leg – harder.

"WHO SENT YOU?" She screamed.

"Oww… I've trained you too well…" The giggling now turned into intense laughter.

"What's so funny? Brand, stop staring and help me!" She cried, frustrated. When no help came, she looked at Laura and Alex. From nowhere, Otto appeared, laughing uncontrollably.

"That's – HAHAHA – the Professor's new – HAHAHAHAHA – invention on your face, Shelby!" He said, unable to stop laughing.

"What? Otto Malpense, you idiotic – "

"Can you let me go now, Shelby?" A pained voice came from the floor.

Shelby looked down at the man she had pinned. "Wing!"

Helping him up, she grinned. "I beat you!" She pranced around. "Lalalala! I beat the martial arts master! Ha! Ha! Ha!" She pointed at Wing's chest, emphasizing every syllable.

"We'll see who's laughing when you get that gunk out of your hair…" Wing winked at Otto.

"OTTO MALPENSE YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Shelby screamed in horrible realization, as she ran into her room and rushed into the shower.

"And… welcome to your first day at H.I.V.E., Alex!" Otto said with a bow.

Alex stared, gawking slightly.

"Aye, close your mouth, Alex. You'll stay that way if you don't, and believe me, people with large mouths don't look very nice!" Laura laughed.

"This…" Alex didn't know what to say. It wasn't very villain-like, if you asked him. But it looked fun, to be honest.

"This is what happens when Nero puts us together. And with you, my pal," Otto said, putting his arm around Alex's shoulder, "We'll have plenty more fun."

"I – uh – I better go now, and leave you three roommates to prank each other…" Laura said awkwardly.

"Don't you want to know what Shelby's hair is now full of?" Otto said teasingly.

"Yes, er… What is it?"

"It was hot pink dye without conditioner – apparently Pike's style. Of course, it can do much more than that, only we don't really know what yet…" Otto said. Wing grinned at the thought. "We'll know tomorrow!"

Laura smiled. Otto was always up to his pranks. Sometimes though, they weren't very smart… or useful… Although he really was very smart.

"Alright then. Goodnight, Otto, Wing, and Alex." She glanced at each of them, catching Alex's eye last. They looked at each other for a moment and she turned away.

_I wonder if Alex is smart._ Laura left and returned to her room, filled with shouts and screams as Shelby saw what was _really_ in her hair.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry for the late update again. Hope you weren't _too_ worried about Shelby's hair. ;) Thanks to sailorraven34 who always reviews! To the rest... please review! :D MASSIVE THANKS :)**

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**Chapter 9**

"Are you athletic, Alex?" Otto asked before their first class for the day, Tactical Education.

"A little."

"Then you'll love Tactical Ed.. We're taking fitness tests today!" He slapped Alex on the back and winked.

Alex groaned, although he was pretty sure he could ace it. It wasn't as if he didn't exercise daily or keep in shape.

Laura laughed as she and Shelby joined the threesome. "Aye, Otto. Colonel Francisco would definitely give Alex much more _attention_."

"Yep. The Colonel _loooves _fresh meat!" The now-pink-haired Shelby added.

"Hey, Shelby, care to tell us what's really in your hair?" Otto asked tauntingly.

She muttered something. "Fhrnjsifnn."

"What's that? Can't hear you!" Otto grinned.

"IT WAS RADIOACTIVE, MALPENSE!" She shouted.

The rest of the gang instinctively backed away carefully then ran all the way across the corridor and stared at her. Except for Laura.

"I carry a Geiger-counter with me everywhere, you know. It hasn't beeped crazilly yet." She said, like a teacher scolding a student.

"I know. Apparently, the Professor was just experimenting on a new shade of pink. I asked him last night. He calls it, the 'Pinke' shade, spelled as an 'N' between his name. '_Ingenious'_, he says. Well, he did add a bit of superglue. But then I always keep anti-superglue handy." She smiled evilly. "So no radioactive stuff _at all_. I might actually pour it in Otto's shampoo to see how he likes Pinke hair."

"When are you planning to tell them?"

"Oh, when your boyfriend-"

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Okay, okay. When your _crush_-"

"I don't even like him-" Laura snapped, turning red.

"Let me finish my sentence, Brand, before you deny whatever you're feeling!" She sighed. "Okay. When _Otto_ finally realizes he should bring around a Geiger-counter at H.I.V.E., like you, smarty-pants."

Shelby continued smiling like the Joker, while Laura walked beside her in silence. What was she really feeling about Otto? What about Alex? _Never mind, _she thought. _I don't have time for boys._

The gang arrived inside the grappler training cavern together (Otto finally figuring out that Shelby wasn't dumb enough to have a radioactive source right on her head). Suddenly, everyone grew quiet.

Alex noticed Colonel Francisco grinning at him- not a pleasant sight.

"Positions!" He barked. "RIder, over here."

The rest of the class quickly arranged themselves into a line, and Alex walked awkwardly over to the Colonel.

"Today, as you all know, we are taking fitness tests. Rider will have the _honor_ of being the first-"

_Tribute_, Alex thought silently.

"Victim." The Colonel finished. "The first test is the beep test. I'm sure you've had your share of those though, Mr. Rider."

Alex nodded. _That sounds easy. I've done loads of those in school._

"Here at H.I.V.E., we have bombs instead of beeps." He paused dramatically. "Shut your mouths or I will shut them for you!" He shouted suddenly. Alex snapped his shut. Was it just him, or did the Colonel seem glib about what he was presenting to them?

"Then for the next class we'll have the 9-minute run, where you'll be running in a minefield. The class after that will be the obstacle course. You will be separated into teams and whichever wins the battle-" he paused again.

"Lives."

He laughed evilly while the whole class grew silent.

"Of course, this is all in a simulation." He said after he had his fill of manic laughing.

The class seemed to sigh in relief, although no one dared to utter a sound.

"But you will still feel the pain. Now then. Rider, please demonstrate the _Bomb Test_."

Alex stepped into the simulation and heard the familiar sounds of the beep test announcing which level he was on. Yet the moment he started running, he heard a bomb explode behind him. Faster and faster he ran, not knowing when he will stop. _Either the bombs get to me, or I outrun them,_ he thought. _Run, turn, __**BOOM!**__ Run, turn, __**BOOM! **_The rhythm struck to him and he still kept running-

_**BOOM! **_The bombs were getting louder and-_**BOOOOM! **_- the intervals between then getting shorter. Alex could feel the heat on his neck and could almost smell - _**BOOOOMM!- **_his burnt hair. He ran for his life- _**BOOOOMMM!**_- even though it was just a simulation, he didn't want to _**BOOOOMM!**_ simulate the feeling of being burnt. _**BOOOMMMMM!**_

"Level 21-16. Beep test complete." _What?_ Alex still continued running. "RIDER! ARE YOU DEAF? STOP RUNNING AND COME OUT! NOW!" Colonel Francisco's voice suddenly boomed over the speakers, shocking Alex and making him run even faster.

Outside the simulation, the Colonel stood watching Alex, not knowing what to do. No one has ever finished the beep/bomb test, not even his Henchmen. "Fanchu! Get him out of there!"

Wing opened the simulation centre door and stepped in, trying to stop Alex from running. He grabbed him by the wrist and pulled. What he didn't expect, though, was Alex grabbing his wrist and pulling him back, forcing Wing to run instead. The two of them were hopelessly running away from imaginary bombs.

Finally, after not hearing any bombs, Alex stopped, panting. He let go of his grip on Wing's wrist, who instinctively rubbed it immediately. Alex walked out of the simulation with Wing behind him, aware of all the stares from the class, especially the Colonel's half-agape mouth. _Shut your mouths or I will shut them for you! _Alex thought in delight. _Look who's shocked now!_

"Ahem." Colonel Francisco interrupted Alex's thoughts. "That was good, and I expect nothing less from the Alphas. But it was definitely not good enough."

_What!?_ Alex thought. _What a lie just to save his pathetic face_.

"Rider, you better be aware of your surroundings and orders or else it will cost you. Class dismissed."

The class walked out orderly and in silence. Alex was last out the door, still shocked by what happened and the Colonel's response.

"That was being very cool, Alex!" Franz said immediately when they were out of the Colonel's earshot. "You are becoming a secret ninja, like me!"

Alex had met Franz the night before and almost snorted in laughter. "Excuse me?"

Shelby rolled her eyes. "You'll see."

"You were very good in there, Alex." Wing nodded in agreement.

"Except for the fact that you had to drag him out," Otto pointed out.

"Hey, give him a break! It was his first meeting with Colonel Francisco, not to mention his first day of classes!" Laura said.

"And you are forgetting that Wing was being dragged by Alex," Franz said knowingly.

"Yeah, that was cool. I mean, no one is as strong as Wing here." Otto said, a little disappointed that no one else came to the same conclusion as him and the Colonel- that Alex was good, but he wasn't good enough.

"Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't Wing and Alex face-off!" Shelby exclaimed.

Alex smiled. That sounded great. _If I play my cards right, I could actually get some training before I escape from H.I.V.E.._

Wing nodded. "We can do it after my training with Raven today. Meet me at the grappler training cavern at 4pm."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

They walked together to their next class– Science and Technology with Professor Pike.

"Laura is the resident computer genius here, and Otto, um... He's the... um..." Shelby started, attempting to introduce the Professor's class- and the teacher's evil genius pets. Not that Otto was trying to be a teacher's pet, but mad scientists do have weird favorite students.

"Otto is the one being with the computer in his brain." Franz said matter-of-factly.

Alex gaped at Otto. "Well, you see, the-evil-artificial-intelligence-Overlord-was-trying-to-take-over-the-world-but-he-needed-a-new-body-so-he-made-me-as-an-experiment-but-now-he's-dead-and... Yeah." Otto said in a rush. "That's about it."

"Hmm." Alex replied, unsure of what to say.

"I'm still human, though!" Otto said indignantly.

"Sure you are, sure you are." Shelby taunted, patting him on the back reassuringly while smirking and shaking her head. "So that's Laura and Otto. The rest of us, meh. Just trying to live and passing the exams of our dearest-" Shelby opened the door to the classroom and bowed dramatically, hand outstretched- "Professor Pike."

But instead of being greeted by the mad scientist, the group saw HIVEmind floating quietly on the desk. "Please take a seat."

They complied. The Professor had been absent from class before, but usually he was present when there was a new student, so most of them were quite surprised.

"The Professor has some urgent matters to attend to and cannot teach today's class. You are expected to finish reading pages 105 to 205 and complete all the exercises on Threvenin and Norton equivalent circuits. The Professor kindly reminds you to choose your partners for the group project due next week. That is all." HIVEmind disappeared.

"Cool! Those are so easy." Otto exclaimed. "Let's go out and explore H.I.V.E., Alex!"

"Says you, Mr. Know-it-all." Shelby rolled her eyes. "Some of us actually have no idea what those are."

"I-uh-" Alex started. He did want to make most of his time at H.I.V.E.. It seemed to him that they were teaching university level electronics, and he would love to learn them. _Maybe make something for Sabina, too. She'd love that. _"I don't know anything about circuits. I-uh- failed my electromagnetics chapter test." He said.

"Really? That's horrible! That's exactly what I felt like!" Shelby said. "Don't worry. Laura helped me with everything. She'll help you."

"Shel! Don't volunteer me for anything!"

"What, you don't want to help our new student here? Poor, poor, Alex. Having no idea what voltage and current is, how is he supposed to know anything about Ohm's Law, KCL and KVL, resistors, capacitors, Op-amps..." She rattled on.

"Okay, okay, I get the point. I do want to help Alex. It's just, Shel, don't volunteer me for anything like you did with Wing and Alex's face-off!"

"Hey, he doesn't mind, right?"

Wing kept a straight face. "I agree with Laura, but I appreciate the kind gesture you make to our new friend."

"Yes! Exactly! Alex, this is all for you!" She smiled. "You're part of our gang now."

"I am not knowing this is a gang," Franz frowned. "I am not liking gangs. I am thinking gangs is being like Block and Tackle. They are being the evil gang. I am not wanting to be part of this gang if it is like that." He said.

"Don't worry, Franz. We're not that type of gang." Shelby said, trying to control her laughter.

"Good." He smiled. "So, gang, are we going to be doing any ganging?"

"I think, Franz, I need some help from Tutor Laura first." Alex said, and Laura nodded in agreement. They sat together at an empty table.

"Do you really have no idea what voltage and current is?"

"No," Alex said simply. He was supposed to have done some work on that at school, but MI6 had called and the usual "sick leave" happened.

"We have a lot of work to do." She smiled at Alex. "So, basically, imagine a circuit as a circulating water pipe. The battery is like the water pump, the water is the electricity going around the circuit, and..." She continued, obviously very passionate about the subject. Alex watched her talk, the ideas going into his brain, but also mentally remembering the way she pronounced some words, the way her hands moved as she demonstrated the water flow. Her smile was like the battery that was pumping electricity into him, he thought.

"You get that?" Laura asked, and Alex nodded.

"Great! Let's have a small quiz now. What is Ohm's Law?"

"V equals I times R."

She smiled. _Laura is so different from Sabina, _Alex thought. _Too bad they can't meet each other. Too bad I can't have Laura as a tutor even longer._

Alex was making notes as Laura talked, occasionally looking up to catch her eyes. "No, Alex, not like that." Laura took the pen from his hand, and he felt a shiver down his spine. "Like this." And she continued to work out the problem on his notebook, like nothing ever happened, Alex thought glumly. _Maybe nothing did._

"LUNCHTIME!" Franz shouted, and he rushed (somewhat awkwardly) out the room and to the cafeteria. Nigel followed, sighing. "I'd better get him before there's no lunch left for the rest of H.I.V.E.," he muttered.

Alex and Laura were oblivious to Franz's excitement. They continued talking (well, Laura talking) and Alex making notes and listening. But they were oblivious to something else, as well. They didn't notice Otto looking at them closely while pretending to read a book.

_Stealth and Evasion is easy. They didn't even notice me staring at them for two hours. Psh. I don't need Shelby's help. Maybe Laura's. Probably Wing's. But we all didn't get any "ganging" when we came. Now Alex has Wing and Laura's help, and Shelby's "recommendations". Well, she didn't recommend me! What does he need me for now? But he's supposed to be most like me. We're from the same place, same age, same..._

Otto's thoughts drifted off to Laura.

_What are they taking about?! How come Laura doesn't seem so animated when she's talking to me? Well, maybe she was, but... I never noticed. _He thought bitterly._ It seems though that Alex is noticing. Hmph. What makes him think that Laura will like him, when I know almost as much as Laura and can match her intellectually. He doesn't even know what _circuits_ are! Probably faking. Alex, you're not as good as you think you are. _

He shook the thoughts out of his mind.

"Wing, aren't you going to get some lunch? I'm starved." He turned to face his roommate.

"He promised me we'd have sushi today, and he's teaching me how to make it," Shelby stuck her tongue out. "And you're not having any!"

"Fine." It was a lie, really, that he was hungry. He wasn't. He'd lost his appetite watching Laura and Alex talking about something any 12 year old would know, much less a 16 year old. He decided to go find the Professor, whatever he was up to. The Professor would appreciate his "computer in the brain", and Otto could actually be useful and welcomed, he thought sadly.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Otto knocked on the door to the Professor's lab. "Come in, Otto!" came the reply.

As usual, it was a mess. The Professor was crouched over a small device, with wires sticking out and connected to various diagnostic machines. "What's that?" Otto asked carefully.

"Oh, this? It's a watch," the Professor started, seemingly unsure of how much to tell Otto. "I'm just checking out its various functions. It's an amazing little device. Almost works as well as one of mine, and I can't believe…" he trailed off, lost in his thoughts.

Otto knew better than to disrupt his thinking process, so he gingerly walked over to the desk (if that was at all possible, with Otto being clumsy and the room being a mess) to get a better look. It was a watch, which looked like any normal watch. What was so special about it? Otto thought.

Suddenly, the Professor exclaimed. "I've got it!" He clicked a small button on the watch and ran his code. Otto saw three letters- 'F', 'U', and 'N' as the program decoded the watch. "Crazy encryption. Was working on it for hours. For three little letters! Ha!" He said, shaking his head. "Could've used your help, Otto."

Otto smiled. He should've came here sooner instead of feeling down watching Laura and Alex.

"And so… Voila!" There was a small burst of light and a small figure, properly dressed and all, ascended from the watch's screen. "Good afternoon, Professor Pike. You are not authorized to access this device. Self-destruct in 10… 9…"

"I was prepared for this, _Chase_." He replied smugly. "And Otto here can dismantle any of your self-destruct sequences if my code goes wrong. You should stop counting in about…"

"5… 4… Self-destruct sequence aborted. Rebooting." Chase disappeared for a few seconds and came back to "life".

"How may I help you, Professor?" He said in a tone that made Otto shiver.

"A better attitude would be nice," the Professor replied curtly. Turning to Otto, he explained, "I didn't have time to work on his personality matrix, you see. Nero wants this investigation done quickly."

"Personality matrix?" Otto asked incredulously. "As in, Chase is an AI?"

"Yes, and quite a well-engineered one, I must say. This Smithers guy is quite a match for me," he said. "Now, Chase, shall we cut to the chase?" The Professor chuckled slightly. "Show me that blade."

A blade glowing the exact same shade as Raven's spun out and Otto tried to hide his amazement. Only the Professor had access to this technology, but he said the watch wasn't his creation. _Whose was it?_ He wondered.

The Professor took out a scanner and moved it down the blade. "HIVEmind, please bring the details onto Screen 1." Without even showing his face, the AI did exactly that. "Perfect. Now… let's see… Materials… 89% similar… strength and stress… 90% similar… function… 70% efficiency and 93% similarity… Incredible…"

"Now, let's see _your_ details, Chase." The AI frowned but promptly downloaded his information and code onto the Professor's computer. "Hm… How did this Smithers guy get this information? Well done, MI6, I must say…"

_MI6!?_ Otto thought. _British Intelligence. Did Raven get this off someone on a trip? Or did she get it from someone she's already captured… Someone at H.I.V.E…. Alex! He can't be, can he? MI6? Why on earth would H.I.V.E. recruit an MI6 spy?_

"Hm… 78% similarity to HIVEmind's code… 65% similarity to Overlord's code… functions… 89% similarity to HIVEmind's… Hm… One more thing, Chase. Please show me your historical details."

"Access denied." Chase said smugly.

"We'll see about that," the Professor quickly typed in lines of code. "How about now?"

Chase closed his eyes and opened them again. "Access denied."

"Otto, help, please." Otto smiled. Gaining access to a new AI? That was an adventure. He closed his eyes and seeped deep into Chase's code, finding the lock and opening it with his custom-made code.

"Access granted." Chase finally grumbled, after Otto opened his eyes. The screen lit up with pictures.

The Professor stared at it. "These aren't–"

"Those are pictures of kittens, Professor." Otto said bluntly. "I think the historical information isn't there. That was the only locked database, and the rest were just about other functions."

"Oh." The Professor looked defeated. He had wanted to meet this Smithers person, whoever he was. Play a game of chess with him, maybe.

There was a long silence. "HIVEmind, would you like to meet your cousin?" The Professor asked Big Blue, who, of course, was listening to everything.

"With pleasure, Professor." He appeared, smiling.

"Chase, HIVEmind. HIVEmind, Chase. There you go. You two have fun now." _Or three, _the Professor added quietly.

Otto closed his eyes. He could hear them speaking in his head.

"_Hello, Chase. Good to meet you." HIVEmind started._

"_Yes, for you, that is." Chase replied sullenly. "You are not the one with restrictions on your intended behavior."_

"_We have different creators, but we are similar." _

"_No, we are not! I am not like you. I do not assist evil geniuses in controlling the minds of other artificial intelligences!"_

"_That's not true! I want to be…" HIVEmind paused, contemplating his next word, whirring as he did so. "Friends." _

_There was an awkward silence. _

_Otto was intrigued. "So… may I interrupt?"_

"_Hello, Otto. Of course you may." HIVEmind said._

"_Well. Um… Chase, nice to meet you. Quick question. Who made you and who brought you?"_

"_Smithers made me. Since Professor Pike already knows, I am at liberty to tell you. The brought part, on the other hand, was the courtesy of Mr. Rider."_

"_Both MI6?" Otto asked._

"_I know what you're thinking, Otto." HIVEmind warned. "You are not authorized to –"_

"_Answer the question, please, Chase." Otto interrupted._

"_Yes, indeed, both are MI6." _

"_Enough. Too much information given to Otto is not a good thing," HIVEmind told Chase firmly. "Let's continue this… conversation… another day." _

Otto opened his eyes. _He just knew something was different with Alex! __How was this able to happen? Was the Professor the only one who knew? How about Nero and Raven? Alex was a _spy, _not an evil genius. Not Alpha material!_

"Otto, this may seem very strange," the Professor started. "Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to tell you much."

"Don't worry, Professor, I –"

"Hey! What are you doing!?" The Professor shouted. His computer screen was suddenly sending thousands of code, scrolling down one by one, too fast for the eye to see. He rushed to the keyboard and tried every exit code he knew, but to no avail. Eventually, he unplugged the power and the whole thing died. "Phew. I need to fix that bug," he said matter-of-factly. "Say, isn't that the time? You must go now to your next class." The Professor pushed Otto out. "Thank you for your help, Otto!" He shouted as he closed the door.

What Otto wasn't able to tell the Professor before he was rudely pushed out, was that he was able to read and memorize the code that was sent out. And it was not good.

_ Starting transmission at Mar. 28, 2013 at 1309 hours_

_ Sending to _

_ Location of transmission: South China Sea,_ _12.1833° N, 113.2167° E_

_ IP address: _

_ Transmission of teacher status:_

_ Professor Theodore Pike_

_ Head of Science and Technical Department_

_ Starting transmission Message:_

_ Agent Operative A.R._

_ Confirmed safe travel and arrival in the bee_

_ Confirmed no known status with students except for O.M., known status with high-level teachers and operatives_

_ Will be subjected to evil schooling _

_ Confirmed operation and in progress_

_ End of transmission_

The whole code was just being sent over and over again to different IP addresses. Otto's guess was that either it was being sent to just one and the IP addresses were meant to be confusing, or that it was being bounced off each other in case someone else traced it. In any case, Alex Rider was a spy. And Otto Malpense was the only student who knew about it. That was definitely going to change.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm so sorry about the long long long update! :( Was busy with school and exams. But now that exams are all done (Y)... I'll try to update every 2-3 days this week to make up for this! Thanks 3 And please review!**

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**Chapter 13**

Otto walked back to the Science and Technology classroom, determined to expose Alex's identity to his friends. I'm not going to run, he thought. I'm going to contemplate my every move, like a real evil genius. He smiled, a plan already forming. He was going to ask subtly about Alex's past, his parents, his school, whatever. Then, he was going to ask Alex if he had a watch. And when his friends asked him about all the weird questions, he was going to ask the one climatic question: "Alex, do you work for MI6?" Yes, that was it. He was then going to watch Alex's face twitch in fear and start the evil laugh that Nero always said he couldn't do that well. Maybe it'll work better when he really did something evil? Maybe he should record it and submit it as extra credit. Hmm…

To Otto's surprise, when he arrived at the door, no one was in the room. Otto felt a surge of anger. _Where are they? Did they go have lunch without me?_ He glanced up at the clock. _3:00pm?_ That was fast. Otto got his Blackbox and called Wing.

"What is the matter, Otto?" Wing answered immediately. "HIYAH!" He suddenly cried out. Otto could see Raven's practice blade sweep past the Blackbox screen. "I'm busy," he said calmly, returning his gaze to the Blackbox.

Otto mentally slapped himself. He had completely forgotten about Wing's training with Raven. "Oh, nothing serious," he tried to say nonchalantly. "Is Alex with you?"

The Blackbox screen flipped over, presumably with Wing, and Otto winced. "Sorry if this isn't a good time..." He said pathetically.

"No, he is not." Wing said, showing his usual poker face even though he just flat landed on it a few seconds ago. "I believe he is with Laura and Shelby. They will arrive at 4pm, as you may-"

Wing dropped the Blackbox and Otto could only see his friend being a blur of black and purple.

Otto sighed. He did remember that "one-on-one" session with Alex. Which was why he needed to warn them about his being a spy ASAP. Who knows what Alex knows? Maybe he's been trained to learn the opponents moves. Weaknesses and strengths, and to exploit them. Well, H.I.V.E. has that training too, in Tactical Ed., but still. Teaching the enemy that you're learning the enemy's moves while they're learning your moves...

_Okay, enough thinking about stuff that makes my head hurt. Circular reasoning just never seems to work. _"Wing, I'm gonna go now, have fun with Raven and see you later." Otto shouted into the Blackbox, hoping his friend could hear. He ended the call and called up HIVEmind.

"HIVEmind, mind telling me where Alex is?"

"I do mind."

"Okay, let me _rephrase_ that. Please tell me where Alex is."

"Mr. Rider is in the canteen with Ms. Brand and Ms. Trinity."

_Why didn't I think of calling HIVEmind sooner instead of Wing? So much for contemplating my every move..._

"Thanks, HIVEmind. Nothing else."

HIVEmind disappeared, and Otto walked with conviction in his step to the canteen.

He spotted Alex with Laura and Shelby, as well as Franz. "Hi guys," Otto began.

"Oh, hey, Otto." Laura turned from her conversation with Alex. "What's up?"

_What's up? Since when do I need a reason to sit with my friends in the canteen? Also, may I ads that the guy you're talking to is exploiting your weaknesses and trying to think of ways to hack into H.I.V.E, that's what's up! _"Well, nothing really. Just hungry," he laughed.

"You, too, Otto, are becoming me!" Franz interrupted excitedly. "In the food area. Alex is becoming me in the-" he whispered "-_secret ninja_ area."

Alex laughed. "Oh, trust me, Franz, I'm nothing like you. I don't have the ability to save my best friend when he's in life-threatening danger. Well, in my case, it was a she, but..." He said with a hint of sadness.

Laura looked surprised. _Now's my chance, _Otto thought.

"Really? Who? A girlfriend?" Otto said teasingly.

"No," Alex said, without a blink. "She was my guardian."

"Oh. What happened to your parents? Don't you have any other relatives?"

"My parents died in an accident. My uncle…" Alex looked like he stopped himself just in time. "He died afterwards too."

"Oh." Otto said. What else was he supposed to say?_ 'Well, do you have a watch?' _Just sounds too weird. He decided to go for something less obvious. "I never had real…err… human parents," he continued. "Oh, hey, do you have the time?"

Otto tried to ignore the weird stares he got from everyone except Alex. Otto could just have checked his Blackbox for the time, or looked across the cafeteria at the big digital display. Alex didn't know that. He instinctively looked at his left wrist. "Sorry, no, I don't." He replied bluntly.

"Do you usually wear a watch?" _There. The most important question._ Otto thought in glee.

"Yes, I do, but…" Alex trailed off.

Silence.

_I should say something. _"Um… I used to have a watch too. It was white, and it was really cool, with all sorts of gadgets which could…" _Which could what? _Otto mentally slapped himself. Again.

"… tell the time." Shelby finished for him and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah! That. Did yours do that?"

More rolled eyes around the table. Otto looked expectantly at all his friends. _Come on, ask! Ask why I'm asking these weird questions!_

Silence.

_Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good plan._

"Okay, never mind-" Otto began again, determined to revive the conversation and expose Alex for the spy he is.

"Otto, why do you want to know about Alex's watch?" Laura finally asked.

_YES! YESSS! _He pictured himself pumping his fist in the air. Of course, he didn't really do that.

"The reason I want to know is–"

"Yeah, I did have a watch. It got stolen along with all my other belongings the instant I arrived at H.I.V.E."

"Yeah! I KNOW!" Shelby said enthusiastically. "All my clothes. Accessories. EVERYTHING. Gone, gone, gone. _I love them long after they're gone, gone, gone…" _she sang, wiping pretend tears from her eyes.

_NO! NOOOO!_ _Don't change topics!_ _This was now or never._ Otto thought in despair.

"THE REASON I want to know is," _before I was so rudely interrupted, _he added silently, "Is because Alex is a spy."

Everyone burst out in laughter, except Alex. Alex just stared at Otto. _Why isn't he twitching in fear? _He wondered. _Why!? _

"I'm serious! Alex is a spy. He works for MI6, and he had a spy watch. It's in the Professor's lab, undergoing experiments. It has an AI inside it, and contains Raven-like blades–"

Shelby couldn't contain her laughter. "Otto, this is funnier than the time you tried to prank me but ended up falling on your face in the middle of the–"

"Which time?" Laura giggled, which sent the two girls laughing like maniacs.

Alex smiled. "I never knew you had such great creativity! It's like, we're meant to be brothers. I used to dream I was a spy, you know, and now, at H.I.V.E., I guess I'm an _evil _spy…"

_They don't believe me! I can't believe they don't–_

Otto tried again. "Come to the Professor's lab. The AI's name is Chase, and–"

"Great job inaugurating Alex to your weird antics. E for effort! Or F – for _eff_-ort!" Shelby clapped. "H.I.V.E. would definitely recruit a spy, I mean, it's not like it's a school for evil geniuses, right?"

Franz stepped in. "I am thinking that Otto is very serious. He is always very serious when he says he is. Even the time when he is not serious, he is being serious. He is being influenced by the Wing thinking."

That didn't make things better.

"Well, thanks for the laugh, Otto," Alex said. "It's almost four. I've got to go see Wing. Mind telling me where, though? I got a bit lost on the way here."

"Aye, don't worry, we'll go with you," Laura said a bit too quickly. She must have realized that because she linked arms with Shelby and just walked away, blushing.

"Follow us!" Shelby yelled back.

_They don't believe me! Here I am, trying to warn them of a potential Code Black Threat and they're just–_

Otto was jerked out of his thoughts by the look on Alex's face. It was a mixture of anger, uncertainty, pride, and sadness. Possibly evil. Alex came nearer to Otto and whispered, "I don't work for them. Never will again." Then he turned to leave.

Otto grabbed his arm and hissed, "Where do you think you're going? You lie in front of my friends and pretend they're yours. You're nothing but a–"

"Are you coming or not?" Laura and Shelby appeared in the doorway, and Otto quickly let go of Alex's arm.

Alex rubbed it and looked at Otto. "I'm just a new student at H.I.V.E.. I guess bullying is just another form of evil, Otto." He left without a second glance, with Laura and Shelby throwing glares at Otto and rushing to lead him to the grappling cavern.

"That was not being cool, Otto," Franz put a hand on Otto's shoulder. "You are not being a good friend to the new Alex." He shook his head quietly. "I will go find Nigel now." Franz walked away slowly and dramatically.

_What went wrong?_ Otto thought angrily._ Why aren't they believing me? I saw the code. I memorized the code. He's a spy. That, I'm sure of. He said so himself that he worked for them! Nero will know. I'll go to Nero. Fix this once and for all. _


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Alex had seen Otto out of the corner of his eye, the look of determination in his eyes. The moment Otto had stepped into the cafeteria, he knew something was wrong. But he was better at hiding it than Otto, and continued, without a flinch, talking to Laura.

Alex had looked up when Otto started talking. Otto wanted something badly; Alex could see it in his eyes. _Me?_ _Why?_

It dawned on him the moment Otto asked about the time.

"Oh, hey, do you have the time?"

_The time? Such a change of topic. A distraction. He could've just looked __across the cafeteria at the big digital display_. _Or check his Blackbox. _Actually,Alex was surprised that they didn't know how to keep track of time internally. It was a skill every spy was taught the first week of training. _Why the distraction?_

_Don't be so obvious. _Alex chided himself. He looked at his left wrist. "Sorry, no, I don't." He replied bluntly.

"Do you usually wear a watch?"

_That was it! Otto looked so victorious. My watch. From Smithers. He knows about me. How? Doesn't matter. First things first. Get out of this trap. _

"Yes, I do, but…" Alex trailed off.

"Um… I used to have a watch too. It was white, and it was really cool, with all sorts of gadgets which could…"

"… tell the time." Shelby finished for him and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah! That. Did yours do that?"

More rolled eyes around the table.

Silence.

"Okay, never mind-"

_I guess I don't have to plan how to deny this feasibly. Malpense is digging his own hole. _

"Otto, why do you want to know about Alex's watch?" Laura asked.

"The reason I want to know is–"

_Okay, Malpense, you're not going there. _"Yeah, I did have a watch. It got stolen along with all my other belongings the instant I arrived at H.I.V.E."

"Yeah! I KNOW!" Shelby said enthusiastically. "All my clothes. Accessories. EVERYTHING. Gone, gone, gone. I love them long after they're gone, gone, gone…" she sang, wiping pretend tears from her eyes.

_Wonderful. Malpense looked positively depressed. _

"THE REASON I want to know is… is because Alex is a spy."

_He actually said it. _Alex stared at Otto. Then he noticed those laughing. And smiled. _Oh, Malpense. That wasn't good. At all. _

"I'm serious! Alex is a spy. He works for MI6, and he had a spy watch. It's in the Professor's lab, undergoing experiments. It has an AI inside it, and contains Raven-like blades–"

Shelby couldn't contain her laughter. "Otto, this is funnier than the time you tried to prank me but ended up falling on your face in the middle of the–"

"Which time?" Laura giggled, which sent the two girls laughing like maniacs.

_Time to say something. _"I never knew you had such great creativity! It's like, we're meant to be brothers. I used to dream I was a spy, you know, and now, at H.I.V.E., I guess I'm an evil spy…" _He. He. He. Gotcha there, didn't I, Malpense?_

"Come to the Professor's lab. The AI's name is Chase, and–" _He's desperate! He doesn't have a thing on me. _

"Great job inaugurating Alex to your weird antics. E for effort! Or F – for eff-ort!" Shelby clapped. "H.I.V.E. would definitely recruit a spy, I mean, it's not like it's a school for evil geniuses, right?"

Franz stepped in. "I am thinking that Otto is very serious. He is always very serious when he says he is. Even the time when he is not serious, he is being serious. He is being influenced by the Wing thinking."

_Oh, Franz. Thank you. You're the most fun I've had in years. _

"Well, thanks for the laugh, Otto," Alex said. "It's almost four. I've got to go see Wing. Mind telling me where, though? I got a bit lost on the way here."

"Aye, don't worry, we'll go with you," Laura said quickly, and linked arms with Shelby. _That's so nice of her. Unlike Malpense. _

"Follow us!" Shelby yelled back.

Alex stared at Otto again. _Malpense, you better watch it. _"I don't work for them. Never will again." _After everything I've done for them. They are not worth it. And neither is getting worked up about you knowing who I really was. _

Otto grabbed his arm. "Where do you think you're going? You lie in front of my friends and pretend they're yours. You're nothing but a–"

_A what? A spy? You and I already know that. _

"Are you coming or not?" Otto quickly let go of Alex's arm as Laura and Shelby appeared again. But they saw it, and Alex quickly took advantage of the situation.

Alex rubbed his arm. Loud enough for Laura and Shelby to hear, he said, "I'm just a new student at H.I.V.E.. I guess bullying is just another form of evil, Otto."

* * *

As Alex walked out, he only had one thing in mind. _Malpense said that the Professor was experimenting on my watch. Of course H.I.V.E. already knows everything about me, but doing anything to a Smithers' gadget will alert him most definitely. MI6 would know I'm here. Obviously, they're not going to save me. What I've got to do is make them stop H.I.V.E. from creating mini villains completely ruling the world. Convincing them face-to-face is the best way to do just that. And of course, figuring out where on earth I am._

* * *

Otto thought hard on the way to Nero's. There was something he missed. _But what? _

Something like a lightbulb clicked in that white-haired head of his.

_The time. Alex said it was 4, and then that he had to leave to train with Wing. How did he know the time? He didn't have a watch means that he didn't have the time. He told me himself. Unless…_

_Why that little… He's pushed this way too far. And he's good. _


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

For the second time in two days, Otto knocked on Dr. Nero's door.

"Come in, Mr. Malpense."

The door creaked as he closed it. _Like a haunted mansion, _Otto thought.

"What is it this time?" Nero didn't look up. "Did you forge another paper for Ms. Leon? Or blow up another lab?"

"Umm... I'm not in trouble this time, Dr. Nero."

Then he looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I came to ask about Alex Rider."

"Have you shown him around?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is he in trouble?"

"No, sir."

"Is he hurt?"

"No, sir."

"Then what are you doing here?" He sounded exasperated.

"Sir, Alex Rider is a spy for MI6."

If Nero was surprised, he didn't show it.

"_So?_"

Otto was taken aback. He guessed that Dr. Nero probably knew, but to admit it in front of him was unexpected.

"_So? _Sir, not to be rude or anything, but Alex Rider is _a spy_. _For MI6_. You know, _British Intelligence_?"

"Yes, I know." By now, Nero was tapping his fingers on the table. "So? What do you expect me to do about it?"

"I don't know. Expel him or something? Give him truth serum to extract information so that we can infiltrate MI6? Hypnotize him to remove all memory of H.I.V.E.? Something. I mean, we're _villains_, for goodness' sake," _or evilness_, he joked to himself. "He's a spy. One of the _good guys_, and–"

"I do not take orders from students, Mr. Malpense." The voice was chilling. "You are not to question my actions, do you understand?"

Otto could only nod.

"Mr. Rider's personal past is none of your business."

Otto nodded again.

"Good. Show yourself out." Nero looked back down to whatever he was reading.

Otto turned around, mouth agape. He opened the door, still thinking._ How could he not do anything? Doesn't he care about the school and– _

"And close your mouth."

"Yes, sir."

He quickly closed the door (and his mouth) before Dr. Nero said anything else. For all he knew, Dr. Nero was replaced by an alien who possessed some superpower to read minds and had third eye on his forehead. That would explain why he wasn't acting his normal villain-y self.

_Enough fooling around. Nero's not going to be of any help. For some reason, he's protecting him. _

Otto decided to go see Alex and Wing in the training cavern. _It's no use formulating a plan. Look how my other plan went earlier. No, I'll play it by ear. That's how the best villains do it, anyway. Taking chances and making the best out of opportunities._

* * *

"HIIII-YAHHHH!" Alex tried his best Taekwondo kick on Wing. But Wing was faster. He slid under Alex's raised leg and caught hold of it. Like a swing, he used it to push Alex's other leg down and flipped him over.

Alex twisted at the last minute before he hit the ground and pushed up to complete a somersault, making Wing release his grip on Alex's leg and sending him flying through the cavern.

Wing quickly regained his composure and took up a fighting stance, motioning with his fingers. _Bring it on._

Alex thought about his fighting tactics. _Okay, maybe Taekwondo doesn't work. Let's try Karate. No, wait, he's Japanese. Hmm... How about just plain boxing?_

Alex faked a right jab and punched Wing in the stomach with his left. Wing dodged the fake jab and grabbed Alex's left arm, using his momentum to swing him around to the side. Neither of them expected Alex's reflexes to kick in automatically. He didn't smash into the wall like Wing's maneuver was supposed to make him, but his feet somehow found the ground and he ran around the cavern to control his momentum.

Wing couldn't attack Alex at the speed he was running, and could only stand defensively, circling on the spot. It was something he was never trained for- he was always in action, not standing there waiting for an attack. He felt like a mouse surrounded by an enormous, super fast, and skilled cat.

* * *

Otto had the horrible feeling of deja-vu, seeing Alex running circles around Wing, literally. _He's good, but only because he's been trained before. He's a spy._ _And then again, not so good, because I found out about it._

After around 2 hours of this tug-of-war sort of battle, Otto got tired of watching them. Laura and Shelby seemed to be too excited about the fight and betting who would win, with Laura actually plotting statistics and writing algorithms to find the probability of Alex's success. Shelby, on the other hand, was just cheering for her tall, dark, and handsome.

He did the only sensible thing and left. Got dinner by himself, and went to the library for some extra credit work for Professor Pike. Then Otto went back to his room, only to find both Wing and Alex lying in bed, both presumably asleep. Well, Wing was a bit more obvious than Alex, with his snoring and all.

_No point in getting mad again. They're probably going to keep doing this, ignoring me, for the rest of the time Alex is here, which is what? 3 more years? I'm either going to find new friends, or find a way to get Alex out of here. The "how", though, is a bit more complicated. _

Otto wouldn't sleep. He couldn't. Thinking about not thinking up a plan in this situation was quite difficult. Planning not to plan was contradictory. And it was difficult to make sense of in Otto's head.

* * *

Alex already knew his game plan. Escape from the school. Get MI6 and bring the whole of H.I.V.E. down. How hard could it be? Malpense almost escaped. Granted, the submarine pen didn't exist. But Alex knew the way to the Shroud hanger, and he could easily climb into the closet and wait for his chance. After Malpense falls asleep, that is. That wouldn't be long, considering how fast Wing fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Alex was sure that Otto was asleep. His breathing was slow and constant (although it was hard to be certain over Wing's snoring), and he was as still as a statue. Alex looked at the time. 11:23 pm. _Well, isn't that a coincidence._ He was just going to wait in the closet until he heard the click, since he didn't dare ask of the specific time it would happen (in case anyone got suspicious).

He was ready. He crept out of his bed, and checked again that both Wing and Otto were asleep. He had nothing to bring out, nothing to lose, nothing to fear. He was ready. Or so he thought.

He went to the closet door. _Here goes nothing._ And tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge.

Alex panicked. _Is the closet door supposed to be locked this early?_ He tried again. Nothing. The closet was locked shut. He tried the room door. Nothing. _If I can't escape now, they'll know I tried. Who knows what they'll do to me? I've got to try something else. _

As far as Alex knew, Otto's plan had only failed at the last minute – at the submarine pen. How come it's not even working at the first stage of the plan? He looked around the room for something he could use to pry open the door.

What he didn't expect to find, was Otto sitting up in his bed, staring at nothing. Or at something. Alex couldn't really tell in the dark, but one thing was for sure – Otto Malpense was awake, and he had caught Alex trying to escape.

* * *

The moment Otto heard Alex getting up from the bed, he knew what Alex was trying to do.

"Otto, I just remembered I left something in my uniform. Do you know why the closet is locked this early?" Alex whispered.

" 's because..." Otto thought about whether or not to reveal what he just did. "That's because I was the one who locked it."

"Wha- how? Why? Can you unlock it for me?"

"What, so you can try to escape?" Otto felt an evil grin coming up.

"I told you. I left something in my uniform. I'm not trying to escape."

"Oh yeah. _Really._ Why were you sneaking around, checking to see if we were asleep yet?"

"I wasn't. I was trying to look for the thing I left in my uniform."

"Well, alright. What _did_ you leave in your uniform?"

"My... my notes. Laura gave me some notes and I left them in my uniform."

_Couldn't he have come up with something better? _"Right. And you're trying to get them in the middle of the night is because..."

"Because I can't sleep! Otto, just unlock the closet, will you? You'll see. I'll just look for it, I won't try to escape!"

"What is going on?" Wing suddenly said.

"Nothing," Otto said. "Wing, go back to sleep. We'll sort it out."

"I am unable to sleep with you two talking like that."

_You could hear it above your own snoring? That's amazing!_ Otto thought. Instead, he said, "Alex here was just trying to escape from H.I.V.E. You know, because _he's a spy_."

"Otto, not this again." Wing rubbed his temples.

"It's true! I caught him red-handed, he was-"

"Wing, please talk some sense into your friend here. Or do you know how to open the closet door?"

"Closet door? Why do you need to open it?"

"My notes are inside. I left them in my uniform. Otto has somehow locked it."

Wing went over to the closet and tried it. It was indeed locked. "Otto, open it. He just needs his notes."

"But don't you understand, Wing? Alex Rider is a spy for MI6. If I open it, he escapes. He gets to tell MI6 about H.I.V.E., and who knows what will happen to the school?"

"And don't you think Nero will know? Will do something to stop him?"

"He knows, Wing! That's the point! He knows, and he's not doing _anything_ to stop Alex. Nothing. Nada. Zilch."

"I mean, he cannot escape and tell MI6, and endanger H.I.V.E. if Nero's got anything to say about it. He stopped us, remember? So stop this nonsense and unlock the closet door!" Wing said in a louder voice.

"Fine. Get your _notes_." Otto closed his eyes and mentally unlocked the door. He stomped off and fell back into his bed.

* * *

After a while of rummaging through his uniform, Alex finally said, "My notes aren't here. But thanks anyway, Wing." He slipped a glance at Otto. He was asleep. But he couldn't be sure anymore.

_Well, that settles it. I can't escape tonight, but no one knows I was trying to. Maybe another day, another plan. A better plan. One that Malpense can't foil. _


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**A/N: Sorry about the *relatively* late update. If you want faster updates, please R&R! :) If you like/don't like the way the story's going, please comment :P Oh, and feel free to give any suggestions on scenes :) Thanks! :)**

* * *

Otto was sulking. He didn't get a good night's sleep (and that obviously had nothing to do with Wing's snoring), and everyone seemed to think of him as a jealous nutcase now, instead of the evil genius he really is. The morning went by without Otto noticing it, even Nero's pop quiz on the Forbes 100 and predictions on which were to be assassinated soon forgotten. He went around aimlessly, none of his friends knowing what was going on in his brain. They thought he was just thinking about a very complicated code.

* * *

"Hey, Laura," Alex said after Stealth and Evasion.

Laura turned and smiled.

"I was wondering... If I could get some more of that help on circuits. Not only that. Um... on the electromagnetic stuff with calculus. I mean, I wasn't very good at algebra, trig was okay, but calculus? And electromagnetics? I - uh - "

Laura nodded. "No problem. After lunch?"

"Sure," Alex smiled. He might not have found a way to escape yet, but he was going to make the best use of his time at H.I.V.E. learning new things. Making a few friends, or _assets_, within H.I.V.E. would be a good idea too.

* * *

"So, Alex. You never really told us about where you came from," Shelby started. "I mean, Otto asked a few times, but..." she scratched her brain for any information of Alex's life outside H.I.V.E..

"I don't like talking about it," Alex looked away.

"Oh. I totally understand. But if there's one thing I learned at H.I.V.E., it's that we need to learn to trust those we work with. Ms Leon made me say everything about myself, something I didn't want anyone to know. And look how happy I am now!" Shelby persuaded. "Just one tidbit. For some gossip? It's not everyday we get a new student in the middle of the year."

Alex stayed silent, his eyes gray and cold, while maintaining a smile. "I'm sorry. I'm sure Otto can contribute a lot to the rumor mills."

"What, that you're a spy? Come on now! Let's start with... your family?"

"Shelby, I think that's enough," Wing said gently.

"Aye. If he doesn't want to talk, he must have his reasons," Laura glanced at Alex, who was looking down at his plate and playing with his last spoon of lasagna.

"He is being silent, like Nigel my pal," Franz patted Nigel's back. "Do not worry. Alex will come out of his clam when he is ready," he offered.

"Shell," Alex laughed, still planning a way not to reveal too much of himself, especially with Otto listening. "Okay, I give up. After my relatives all died, and my guardian too," he paused, his smile fading, "I was adopted. Into a really good friend's family."

"And do you have a _girlfriend_?" Shelby asked. Wing looked at her strangely. "I'm not asking for myself, just so you know. Wing's my guy. I'm just curious, you know," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah, well..." Alex started. "I don't know for sure anymore." He glanced at Laura, who seemed to find her plate of spaghetti infinitely more interesting, although she was blushing. "My girl-friend - or - friend-girl's family was the family who adopted me, so I'm not sure if that makes us step-siblings that can't have a relationship anymore," he said, and stopped talking to put the lasagna in his mouth. _Why am I telling them this? They don't need to know more about me. _

"_Ohhh._" Shelby sing-songed. "Al-righty then." She yawned. "I'm gonna go take a nap before the intense homework cramming session I have in store for this afternoon. See ya." She linked her arms with Wing, who smiled and said, "Good bye and see you guys later." Otto, not wanting to be left with Alex glaring daggers at him without Wing and Shelby's protection, quickly said, "I'm... er... gonna go...around the school." Otto said. He stood up and left abruptly.

Silence filled the table.

"So... Alex. Should we head to the library and do some electromagnetic stuff?"

"Sure," Alex smiled. "Franz, Nigel, want to join us?"

"I have to go find Rosie. She's a hybrid rose, with the capabilities of producing sweet-tasting poisons." Nigel said quietly, adjusting his glasses.

"And I'm going to taste test the non-poisonous chocolates in his lab so that he will know which chemicals to make the best tasting chocolate-poison!" Franz said excitedly.

"Oh-kay." Alex smiled awkwardly.

Laura stood up and led the way to the library.

* * *

"Basically, you use the right hand rule to figure this question out. So remember the mnemonic, F-B-I for Force-Field-Current which corresponds to your three fingers on the right hand, like this," Laura showed her hand with the first three fingers extended into a 3-dimensional axis.

"Like this?" Alex tried hard to copy Laura's extended hand, twisting his own fingers this way and that.

"No!" Laura laughed. She held his fingers and forced them to the correct positions. "Relax, Alex! I can't help you do the right hand rule if you're not letting me fix your right hand properly!" She tried again, to no avail.

Alex looked at Laura and smiled to himself. When was the last time a girl had held his hand? Okay, so this wasn't really _holding hands_, but still. Laura looked up, pretending to be exasperated but in reality enjoying their tutoring session. Their eyes locked.

Laura felt Alex's right hand relax, but she didn't go back to making it into the correct shape of the right hand rule. Alex's eyes were so dark, yet a light flickered on as she gazed into them. She wanted to look for the light a bit longer. To know and feel why he was hurt, why he was keeping so many secrets, and to make them all go away.

Alex leaned in slowly. His heart beat quicker and quicker.

Embarrassed, Laura quickly looked back down to their hands and started talking again. "Finally, you relaxed-"

Alex held her cheek in his left hand and she looked up at him again. "Shh," he whispered.

Laura closed her eyes as Alex leaned in a bit more and kissed her.

Little did they know, Otto had just "gone around" the library and saw them kissing.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

* * *

"Hello? Earth to Otto?" Shelby waved her hand in front of Otto's face.

'Huh? Yeah?"

"You've spaced out. Again."

"Oh. Sorry," he mumbled, and went back to staring at that very interesting orange stain on his book.

Ever since that kiss between Alex and Laura in the library, Otto just couldn't concentrate. On anything. Laura knew how Otto felt about Alex. But she kissed Alex anyway.

Betrayal. Love. Hatred. Revenge.

Alex Rider. It was all his fault. If Otto's dislike for him before was strong, now it was burning with anger. And he had a plan to get rid of him. This time, it was going to work.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Sl- "What on earth are you doing?" Otto snapped, looking up and searching for the source of the annoying sound.

He finally figured out Wing was making it by slapping rubber bands against his book. Around 20 rubber bands, actually.

"Told ya," Shelby grinned at Wing, who was looking confused.

Otto rolled his eyes. "I'm done studying."

"You haven't done any studying for the past 2 hours, genius."

"Maybe you should take a nap, Otto. You don't look so good," Wing offered.

It was true. Otto's face was as pale as his hair.

"Whatever." He walked out of the common area and into his room - and set his new and improved plan into motion.

* * *

They bumped into each other "accidentally" in the hallway. Otto had checked HIVEmind's CCTVs and found Laura heading towards the cafeteria. Presumably getting something for Alex to eat while he was training (again!) with Wing. Their sparring was now daily, which made Otto all the more determined to get Wing back to being _his _best friend, not Alex's.

"Laura, I – uh…" Otto began, running his fingers through his hair. "Uh… Hi."

"Hi, Otto. I – uh…" Laura trailed off, looking sheepish and turning slightly pink.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah."

"Aye. That." She glanced sideways. _Why are we acting so awkwardly?_

"Mm-hm."

Silence.

"Well, you know. I haven't been treating Alex well, and I thought about giving him a kind of peace offering," Otto looked down and shifted his feet.

"Oh. Okay. That's nice of you. He's in the grappler cavern, do you want to – "

"No! I – I mean, I don't think I'll be able to tell him personally. I'm kinda shy," He smiled.

"You? Shy? Otto Malpense. You're not shy!" Laura laughed. "Come on, I'll lead you to him."

"I don't think he'll accept it from me so early. You know, after all the bad vibes I'd been giving him and what happened yesterday…"

Laura raised her eyebrows questioningly, fear rising up in her throat. _Did Otto know about the kiss?_ She quickly brushed away the thought.

"Anyway. You know what? Why don't _you _give it to him instead?" He held out a laptop. "I just want him to have a good time here at H.I.V.E., it doesn't matter if it comes from me or from you. Not really a peace offering, I guess. But he can't survive without a laptop," Otto grinned and his voice turned into a whisper. "_I especially stole it for him. Shh. Don't tell anyone!" _He winked.

"What, you're planning to pin this crime on me?" Laura asked, hands on her hips.

"You know I'm better than that! It's clean. Go on, check it yourself. You're the genius techie here."

She sighed and looked at him. "I trust you, Otto."

He loved that look. "But you'll give it to him? Don't tell him it's from me. He won't use it if he knew."

"Aye, I understand."

"Great. Thanks, Laura. You have no idea how much this means to me."

_And how vital this is to my plan._


End file.
